Smoking and final expense insurance: You might believe that if you smoke, you could be disqualified from funeral insurance. However, that is not the case. Learn the truth below.
If you are a smoker, life can seem awfully expensive. Cigarettes are pricy, medical solutions to quit are also quite pricef this, you would probably guess that final expense insurance would not be affordable. You might even believe you are at risk of denial.
Can I Get Final Expense Insurance Coverage as a Smoker?
ABSOLUTELY! You can be covered if you smoke any form of tobacco product. So even if you are told by others that cigar smoking differs from cigarette smoking, you can obtain a policy.
You should be aware, however, that being considered a smoker on your insurance application means you are at risk for higher premiums, as smoking is viewed as a risky behavior that causes life-threatening health complications.
If you want to get affordable burial insurance for smokers, there are several ways to do it. Making simple lifestyle changes can have an significant effect on how much you pay for life insurance.
If you want the most affordable life insurance policy for your family, you’ll need to quit smoking. It will save you money by not getting a smoker’s rate, but it will also improve your health.
How Do Insurance Companies Define A Smoker?
When you apply for funeral insurance, you will be asked if you are a smoker. The questions are asked in a variety of ways, such as:
- In the last 12 months, have you used any tobacco or nicotine products?
- Have you used any form of tobacco in the previous 12 months?
- Within the past 12 months, have you smoked cigarettes?
These questions are used by insurance companies to determine whether you are a smoker and need to be charged a smoker rate.
The products they are referring to can include cigarettes, pipes, cigars, chewing/dipping tobacco, e-cigarettes, nicotine patches & gum, and even marijuana. If you use any of these, then you must answer “yes” to the smoking question.
For most companies, if you smoked one cigar or one cigarette in the past 12 months, then you must answer yes. However, some companies will allow 1-2 cigars per year without charging smoker rates.
To get a the best nonsmoker rates for burial insurance, you need to be 100% nicotine and tobacco free for 12 months.
Smoking and Burial Insurance Application
Every insurance company will ask if you smoke or use any tobacco products on their application form. Lying about smoking on the form is a bad idea, and we strongly recommend against it. You will not be able to hide the fact that you are a smoker.
First, your life insurance application will ask you if you smoke. You need to be honest and answer “yes” to the smoking question if you do. Hiding this fact is a form of insurance fraud.
If you tried hiding your smoking habit to the life insurance company when you apply, you run a significant risk.
If you die within the first two years or during the contestability period, and the insurance company found out that you were smoking, they can deny paying out your death benefit to your beneficiary. Generally, they will at least refund the premium paid into the policy.
If you die after two years, the policy may be paid out, but the death benefit will be adjusted to reflect how much the premium would cover if you were given smoker rates.
Be honest, that is the best way to deal with smoking when you’re applying for insurance coverage.
Factors That Affect Life Insurance Premiums
Smokers are considered high-risk applicants. That is why every insurance company imposes a higher premium on smokers than they do on non-smokers.
The more “quit time” you have under your belt, the better your odds of obtaining a nonsmoker rate. So if you’re considering final expense insurance, it would be best to stop smoking.
Generally, smoking will make your insurance more expensive. The premiums can increase by 50% or more over a nonsmoker rate, but this varies between insurance companies.
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